


Freedom

by Kyuubiluver342



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Evil Steve Rogers, M/M, Psychological Torture, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-20 09:22:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15531171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyuubiluver342/pseuds/Kyuubiluver342
Summary: Tony had tried to escape so many times, he had lost count. (Evil Steve Rogers, please note major character death.)





	Freedom

Freedom

Tony had tried to escape so many times, he had lost count. So many times, he had gotten so close to freedom, he could almost taste it, only to have it ripped away again. He pulled the sheets closer and closed his eyes. The sheets were soft, made of the most beautiful materials, much like the rest of the room, all comfort and warmth, but to Tony, it was a nicely decorated cage. He heard the door open then and he looked between the bars to see who was coming in. 

The man stepped into the room and paused, standing just out of the light, his face covered in shadow. From his chest down, he could see the suit, black and white with hints of blue. Once the suit would have made his heart flutter, now it just made him feel cold. The man moved closer and sat in the only chair in the room, just outside the bars. Just beyond where Tony could reach. To see those piercing, blue eyes, staring at him, was still a punch to the gut after all this time.

“Hello, Tony.” he spoke.

“Rogers.” he replied boredly.

“They told me you tried to escape...again.” Steve sounded so sad.

Tony wanted to rip his throat out with his teeth, how dare he act like Tony had hurt him. How dare he act like Tony was the one who did wrong.

“I don’t want to be here. I told you that.” he hissed back.

“But you have to stay, it’s not safe out there for you.” Steve parroted.

He always did that. Repeated that same damn phrase as if it fucking meant anything to Tony. As far as Tony was concerned, it was just as dangerous in here as it was out there.

“I want to go home.” Tony pleaded.

“You are home.” Steve replied.

Tony sighed and looked away. Why did he think this would work? Why did he think he would get a different reply than he did any other time? They had gone around and around in this same way for almost two years now. Why did he think this time he would finally get through?

“Tony, you need to stop doing this. You need to let me protect you.” Steve stated and Tony scuffed.

“Protecting me by locking me away is not protecting me, Steve, it’s just driving me to madness.” Tony snorted and Steve was quiet.

The quiet was deafening and for a second, Tony felt his heart begin to race. He turned to Steve, staring at him, but Steve was looking at the floor.

“If you are mad, maybe you won’t try to escape again.” Steve said with a shrug and Tony felt his mouth go dry.

“If I go mad, Steve, there will be nothing left to protect.” Tony whispered.

Steve stood up then and their eyes locked, but neither said anything and he soon left. Tony squeezed his eyes shut. How did this happen? When did this happen? Tony could remember it like it was yesterday.

It has happened after the Accords came out and the fight happened between the sides. Steve was on the run and Tony, Tony had been left behind. Those days were a blur of drinking and mourning, mourning for the loss of the family he had finally gathered, mourning for the loss of everything he had come to know. Tony had been mourning and maybe that’s why he hadn’t realized something was wrong. He remembered, briefly, getting a message from the Black Panther, T’Challa.

“Mr. Stark, it is King T’Challa. I must speak with you right away. This is urgent.” the message had gone.

Tony remembered reaching out to him some hours later, but no reply. Nothing at all. Tony hadn’t been concerned, too busy nursing a headache and a dry mouth. He had been moving towards his kitchen when the lights went out. God, it had been so dark, dark in a way that made it seem like something was there, with him, just waiting to grab him. Maybe that had been a sign. Tony had waited for Friday to turn the emergency power on, but she never did and she never answered his questions. Tony had moved towards his nearest suit, ready for whatever was coming, but then he was there.

Steve stood in his lab, watching the door, waiting for him. Tony had been startled, confused and angry. Mostly angry, but the other two were definitely there as well.

“What are you doing here?” his own voice echoed in his head.

“I came to get you.” had been Steve’s reply and god, it had sounded weird even to his ears back then.

Tony had taken it the wrong way. By coming to get him, he thought Steve had come to finish what he had started in Siberia. For everything Tony was, he was still human and fear was still a motivating factor. Tony had bolted, racing to his only chance to escape or at least survive. He grabbed a gauntlet he had been working on, but just as quickly as he grabbed it, he found himself pinned to the table, Steve leaning over him.

“Stop, Tony, don’t make me hurt you.” Steve warned and Tony froze.

“You...aren’t going to hurt me? But you just said.” Tony stopped confused.

“I came to bring you home, Tony. To bring you back to the team.” Steve said sweetly.

There was something there, when Tony looked into Steve’s eyes, that he couldn’t quite place. Something there that Tony should have taken more time to analyze, but he had been so desperate. He had been so lonely, so sad, so lost, he just wanted to believe Steve had come back for him. Maybe he was still a little drunk too, but he had relaxed. It had taken just one second and his whole world went black.

He woke up some time later, sleeping in a bed that wasn’t his own. His clothes were missing, except his underwear, and the doors had been locked. He managed to make it halfway out a window before Steve came back and dragged him back in. That’s when he learned what was going on. Steve had taken control of Wakanda. T’Challa and his warriors were dead, everyone else had been forced out. The only ones left in the palace were people loyal to Steve. Tony had been horrified, demanded to know what the fuck he was thinking.

“This world is a mess, Tony. I realized that after I left Siberia. I knew I had to fix it, but T’Challa wasn’t willing to listen. He had to go. After that...well.” he just shrugged.

Steve was trying to take over the world. Steve had lost his mind that much after Siberia that he was trying to take over the world to make it a better place. Tony had been livid, had tried to fight him on it, had tried to change his mind, had tried to understand why Steve had kidnapped him and that was the only question he answered.

“I need you here. I need you safe. I realized after I left that I couldn’t live without you.” Steve had explained and for the first time, Tony realized the look in Steve’s eyes.

Broken, Steve was broken. Something had snapped inside him. Steve had lost his fucking mind. Tony had fought after that, worked hard to get free and get out, but it was no use. Sam and Bucky were Tony’s personal guards. Sam kept watch over the windows and outside while Bucky constantly paced the hallways. Tony had tried to talk to either of them, but it was like they were brainwashed. Even Natasha was here, but she was pretty useless too.

He had asked about Bruce, about Thor, about anyone, but he was never given any answers. He prayed they were ok, that Steve had left them alone, but one day Steve had come to him, said Rhodey had shown up, attempted to break into the palace, attempted to get Tony back. Rhodey was gone now, killed for that attack and Tony, Tony had been shattered. He had begged to see his best friend, pleaded with Steve to let him have even the ashes, but Steve refused.

“I don’t want you to get any ideas.” Steve had said, but agreed to send his ashes back to his mother.

After that day, Tony had given up. To hear his best friend, his Rhodey was gone had almost destroyed him. He had spent a lot of time in bed, not eating, staring at the wall. Steve had been furious, forcing a feeding tube down his throat and demanding he stop. Eventually, they had come to an agreement, anyone else who came to get Tony would be injured, but set free. Tony wasn’t sure if he had agreed to the deal because he hated hurting their former friends or because Tony had agreed to stay healthy if he kept this promise, but Steve had shown him videos and that was enough for Tony.

That didn’t mean he had stopped trying to escape. After breaking free so many times, he had been moved from the highest tower to the cage just below the throne room. There was only one door and that led directly to the throne room and nowhere else. Steve had promised that Tony would never taste freedom again. Some days, Tony wondered if Steve would keep that promise to his dying breath, Tony hoped not.

Laying back down on the bed, Tony closed his eyes and hoped he would be free one day. One day, he would feel the sun again.

 


End file.
